Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

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August 17, 2016

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing today about the recently announced changes to federal overtime regulations that will affect the compensation of postdoctoral associates as of December 1, 2016.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is a federal law regulated by the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor (DOL).  This law regulates wage and hour standards such as minimum wage, overtime, equal pay, and time reporting requirements.  On May 18, 2016, President Obama and Secretary Perez announced the publication of the DOL’s final rule updating overtime regulations.  The University is required to comply with the changes to this law, effective December 1, 2016.

The regulations mandate that the standard salary level to qualify for exemption from the FLSA minimum wage and overtime requirements will increase from $455 per week ($23,660 per year) to $913 per week ($47,476 per year). In practice, employees who do not meet the revised salary threshold and other requirements, or who fail to qualify for other specific exemptions as outlined in the regulations, must be treated as hourly employees and be paid for each hour worked.

In order to comply with this new regulation, Human Resources at both Storrs and UCH has determined that postdoctoral associates will remain exempt and (where requisite), their salaries will be increased to the new threshold of $47,476.

Given this decision, all submitted proposals must include budgets that reflect the new minimum salary requirements for research staff. Information regarding these salaries is available on the OVPR website for UConn Health and the Storrs and regional campuses. Please contact OVPR Preaward Services staff with any questions at 860.486.3007 (Storrs/regional) or 860.679.4040 (UConn Health).

With regard to the added burden of increased postdoctoral associate salaries on existing projects after December 1, 2016, Central Administration at both Storrs and UCH will provide one-time financial support in FY2017 for postdoctoral associates whose salaries will increase to the new federally regulated threshold. This support will allow projects already underway in Storrs and UCH to maintain their budgeted buying power and complete the research or scholarship activities they set out to do. The Office of the Vice President for Research will work closely with Principal Investigators (PIs) to transfer these funds into the appropriate accounts.

PIs with awards from the National Science Foundation are encouraged to contact their program officer to discuss requesting additional funding to cover the increased cost of postdoctoral associate salaries, per a recently released notice from the NSF.

Thank you for your cooperation. We look forward to continuing to support your research and scholarship in every way that we can.

 

Sincerely,
Dr. Jeff Seemann
Vice President for Research
UConn/UConn Health

ResearchMatch now available to UConn researchers

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Research Match

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) is pleased to announce that UConn is now part of the ResearchMatch Network. ResearchMatch.org is a national online recruitment tool, funded by the National Institutes of Health and maintained at Vanderbilt University. ResearchMatch connects interested participants with research studies that might be a good “match” for them through its secure, online matching tool. There is no cost to UConn researchers who use ResearchMatch to conduct recruitment feasibility analysis or participant recruitment.

For more information, including the process for using ResearchMatch as a recruitment tool, please contact Ellen Ciesielski in the OVPR Research Compliance Services at 860.679.6004 or email researchmatch@uchc.edu.

New Export Control Policy

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The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) would like to announce a new policy related to Export Control compliance, effective 12/14/2015. Intended to protect national security and support foreign policy, export controls are federal laws that regulate how certain controlled information, technology, software, services and goods can be shipped, transferred or transmitted to individuals or organizations overseas.  They also regulate the release of certain information to foreign nationals who are in the U.S. and their ability to work with or have access to certain technologies and software while in the U.S.  This policy has been put in to place to ensure that the University and its employees remain in full compliance with federal regulations, has been approved for all UConn campuses, and can be found at the University’s Policies & Procedures page.

The OVPR has developed resources related to Export Controls to assist faculty and other members of the University community that are available on the Research Compliance Services page.

If you have any questions relating to Export Control and/or this policy, please contact:

Dr. Wesley Byerly
Associate Vice President for Research, Research Compliance Services
Office of the Vice President for Research
860.679.2230
byerly@uchc.edu

University Intellectual Property & Commercialization Policy Update

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October 22, 2015

 

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that an updated version of the University’s Intellectual Property and Commercialization Policy was approved by the Board of Trustees in early October and is now available online. This comes as the result of a substantive collaboration between the Office of the Vice President for Research, the Provost’s Office, the Office of the General Counsel and faculty and staff at both UConn-Storrs and UConn Health.

Although most of the substantive elements remain the same, the policy now provides a more comprehensive, consistent, and clear explanation of relevant issues, such as the use of University resources by a faculty-affiliated company, conflict of interest disclosures, and the hiring of students to work in faculty-affiliated companies, among others.

We are confident that this streamlined policy document, which applies to faculty, staff, and students at all UConn campuses, more accurately reflects the University’s belief that teaching, research, and economic development are enhanced by the intellectual property generated at UConn.

Should you have any questions related to the updated Intellectual Property and Commercialization Policy, please contact:

 

Gregory Gallo, PhD
Director
Technology Commercialization Services
Office of the Vice President for Research
Tel. 860.679.3992
gregory.gallo@uconn.edu

 

Sincerely,

 

Dr. Jeff Seemann
Vice President for Research
UConn/UConn Health